Disputing "division"
How often do you see and hear these well-meaning lines?
"The Russians want us to be divided!"
"We can't be balkanized!"
"Our country is more divided than ever - We need a reconciliation!"
While these lines may be well-meaning, I am not sure if they are entirely grounded in the facts.
First thing is first, this isn't about Russia or Putin, it was mentioned above. He's a murderer and his circle is nothing but looters and killers who have stolen Russia from the Russian people, but that is another issue for another time. This is about us, here, today.
I think the issue of our country supposedly being "divided" or "balkanized" isn't an issue of division at all. But rather one faction acting like they constitute the "other side" of an issue, this faction cloistering themselves off physically, socially, and politically, the lack of acceptance of changing demographics and support for various issues, and the usage of tainted and sham elections to aid them in this cloistering.
There are dangers if we also continue to play into this "But we are divided" game, some very tangible. These need to be addressed as well, and that will be done here.
So the issue isn't of division I say, it's of cloistering and lack of acceptance, what does that mean exactly? Well, many things.
Demographics - It's not being "divided" that our country is changing, it always has, and always will. Immigrants, unmarried people, single mothers, GLBTQ people being 'out', minorities voicing concerns, and yes, big bad scary Muslims. This is not an issue of division, it's an issue that we have a faction here that can not accept these demographics are proud Americans or in some cases, exist at all. This faction here wants to cloister themselves off... pretend they aren't Americans, pretend they don't exist, pretend they have no concerns need addressing, pretend they have no narratives or discourse, pretend they have no rights, no ability to participate or govern. There is nothing that can be done to massively change the demographics here, at least nothing that isn't a crime against humanity.
Time - Guess what? It's the year 2018. It's not the 1950s, it's not before the civil war which according to Roy Moore which was when America was great... even though there might have been just a 'little' slavery. Classy, right? Anyway, it's the present, we live, work, and play in the present. There is nothing "divided" about that, it's this one faction that wants to cloister themselves off from everyone else, and pretend they can somehow turn back the clock to go live in this made-up past world when black people and women knew their 'proper' place and before the time when there "were no gay people or Muslims". This goes along with that demographics thing I mentioned above. Also note how they want to turn back the clock but they don't want to give up antibiotics, indoor plumbing, cars, electricity, or Twitter. Come on guys, at least go hard in the paint.
Politics today - We have this faction that quite literally cloistered themselves off in Washington DC and their little red county enclaves they never leave. It's not being "divided" that our country has a multitude of issues, and people who champion these issues from various sides, it's normal politics. But when we have people who would rather vote for a theocratic sex offender or a man who pretty much killed 29 people to 'stick it to the libs', it's not "division", it's one faction being irrational. It's one faction cloistering themselves off, they want nothing to do with Democrats or liberals. There is nothing 'other side' about that. Period.
We need to move forward, and I have an idea. We simply say they have concerns and we move on. There is no compromise on the demographics of our nation, we can't magically leave 2018 and go to some magical and enchanted past world which is really only a hyperreality conservatives have constructed like it's supposed to be a timeshare. If the right wing wants to be cloistered then let them be cloistered in their own little world. And if they truly want to accept people of other colors, religions, sexual orientations, sexual identities, etc. and if they start to prefer the present to some simulated past that only exists in their minds, then more power to them, that might be a good first step. But we need to stop enabling this cloistering, that is on us.
